Great role models are increasingly hard to come by, and our confused and hurting world needs them now more than ever! People long for those who not only talk about what is right and good but whose lives reflect those values. Yes, people like that are the real deal! We all know that talk is cheap and may even be tempted to resent the talkers. Indeed, those whose walk is louder than their talk are like a breath of fresh air because they are the real deal! Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Apostle Paul said, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10

Have you ever heard someone say, “He acts just like his daddy?” That is precisely how it is to be with us. We are to be a reflection of our loving, heavenly Father! How can that happen? How can we be those whose lives reflect the nature and character of God? The following scripture reveals the answer.

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Oh, that we could grab hold of and fully embrace this powerful truth! The first step to accessing the life of heaven is the word repentance. Repentance means a change of mind. When somebody’s mind changes, their feelings and actions follow! Therefore, new thinking is what fashions a new you! This is why so much of the New Testament uses phrases like, “Set your minds on things above, set your hearts on things above, rejoice in the Lord always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, whatever is excellent and praiseworthy, think on these things.” Col 3:1-3, 1Thes 5:16-18, Phl 4:6-8. This list goes on and on. You see, only when our minds line up with God’s precious thoughts towards us do we experience the life of heaven.

The born-again experience requires repentance because until the truth of the gospel is revealed, one cannot see themselves as a new creation and, therefore, live as a new creation.

2Cor 5:17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold all things become new.”

Genuine change happens when a person’s thoughts become dominated by a solid foundation of truth.

Solomon told us in the book of Proverbs, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Prov 23:7  King David cared so deeply about his thought life that he cried out to God, saying, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Ps 19:14 You can be confident of this; what you continually think about is what you will become!

As I pray for you today, I am asking that God will, in a new way, reveal to you what power is available for those who master their thought life. When your Meditation on things above becomes a lifestyle, your life will reflect the life from above! Yes, your thought life will empower you to be the real deal. Remember, what you behold (constantly think about) is what you will become.

It is paramount that you keep God’s truth in front of you and surround yourself with those who are also determined to put God’s thoughts first! May the grace of God be upon you to do more than you say, making room for others to say what you do. Yes, may your lifestyle cause others to say that you are…

The Real Deal